This fort was built by Heritage Park in 1965 to illustrate the important role played by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), which once established posts as far flung as Alaska, B.C.'s Northern Pacific Coast, Oregon and Labrador, in the economic, social and resource development of Canada.
Heritage Park originally designed the HBC structure as a replica of the second fur trading fort built in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, in 1835. The forts were each staffed by approximately 30 labourers, interpreters, clerks, apprentice clerks and traders, and headed by one chief trader or chief factor. This particular fort was used as a backdrop for a film celebrating the Hudson’s Bay Company's tricentennial.
What am I? From the Heritage Post
I’m a fur press! Instead of piling furs loosely, they would be pressed together into 90-lbs bundles, which would then be covered and sewn shut. This made the furs easy to transport and protected them from the elements. You can see the fur press at the Hudson’s Bay Company Fur Trading Post exhibit!
